Soil Chemistry and One Health

Abstract

The One Health Initiative started as a joint effort between medical doctors and veterinary medical professionals. Because of this origin, much of the concept is still focused on human and animal health. However, the health and well-being of humans and animals depend on healthy plants, soils, and water sources. Recognizing this connectivity, One Health now has a broader mission, encompassing environmental health in many forms. The Initiative works at local, national, and global scales with efforts targeting the integration of human medicine, veterinary medicine, and environmental science. The November–December 2018 issue of the Journal of Environmental Quality includes a special section “Soil Chemistry and One Health” (https://dl.sciencesocieties.org/publications/jeq/tocs/47/6) to bring attention to the role of soil as part of the One Health Initiative. The idea of raising awareness to researchers was brought up at the 2016 ASA, CSSA, SSSA Annual Meeting in Phoenix. Tsutomu Ohno, a member of SSSA, and Ganga M. Hettiarachchi, an ASA and SSSA member, were the guest editors of this collection of papers. Soil chemistry at the intersection of ecosystem services and One Health objectives. Modified from Keith et al. (2016; see https://bit.ly/2A38b6T). Both Ohno and Hettiarachchi are soil chemists who are interested in the way soil chemistry can impact environmental quality. Specifically, Ohno's research focuses on the interaction of soil organic matter and soil phosphorus, and Hettiarachchi's research investigates mechanisms and interactions involved in soil chemical reactions enhancing soil quality to improve crop production and protection of human health. Ohno and Hettiarachchi, who provided information about the special section to CSA News magazine via email, wrote, “Our broad call for papers required that the papers address the current state of knowledge of the links between soil chemistry, food safety and security, environmental quality, and human health issues.” They state that the One Health Initiative requires a holistic framework, which will rely upon multidisciplinary solutions to address both local and global challenges. In the introduction to the special section (https://doi.org/10.2134/jeq2018.08.0290), Ohno and Hettiarachchi point to several broad themes within the One Health Initiative where soil research is applicable. These include understanding the relationships between soil stewardship and health metrics; reducing food chain contamination that begins with crop uptake of chemical contaminants; mediation of pathogenic organisms important to crop, animal, and human health; and balancing ecosystem services and health metrics. Ohno and Hettiarachchi hope this collection of papers can clarify the connections among soil health, environmental quality, food safety and security, and human health and specifically the role of soil chemistry. Soil chemistry research that focuses on nutrients or contaminants in soils and the potential for crop uptake or leaching into waterways have broader impacts on environmental and human health. This collection of papers cover a variety of topics that will be of interest to members from across the three societies, not just soil scientists. This includes research focused on how antibiotics enter the environment through wastewater treatments systems and manure applications, biofortification of crops, and long-term changes in soil biota. “By definition, One-Health Initiative studies encompass a multidisciplinary approach to complex, critical environmental quality issues,” write Ohno and Hettiarachchi. Thus, these studies should be of interest to plant scientists and agronomists as much as soil scientists. Looking to the future, it is these holistic research studies that are likely to lead to results that directly benefit environmental sustainability and human and animal health.” Check out this special collection of papers, Soil Chemistry and the One Health Initiative,” in the November–December 2018 issue of the Journal of Environmental Quality (JEQ): https://dl.sciencesocieties.org/publications/jeq/tocs/47/6.